Journey to 'better'
by TheeandThy
Summary: Bakura and Marik have been gone a long time... and their lighter halves have been... well they try their best to clean up the mess that was left behind. What happens when they make a sudden reappearance? Especially in light of the darkness gathering. Hurt/ Comfort with Angst and some supernatural themes (tendershipping, thiefshipping later MAYBE)
1. Chapter 1

**Hello everyone! Please let me know what you think! I plan to tailor this sotry to how it is received. I can stretch it out or get down to the point and make it shorter.**

 **I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh obviously.**

 **In this story Malik is Marik and Marik is Dark/Marik- seems unfair doesn't it? To let the imposter keep the name?**

 **-Begin-**

 **Ryou**

He sat, kicking his bare feet back and forth… back and forth. As the tips of his toes brushed the grass it almost made him smile… almost. Not much could take away the dull, aching pain deep in his chest but sometimes, when he had a free night and he found himself wandering the streets of Domino, it lessened enough for him to forget about it.

'Wandering the streets' was being a bit dramatic. Every now and then, on nights when he didn't have to go into work and stay there until just before dawn, he became so restless in his apartment and felt so confined that he just ha d to get out. It wasn't really like him but then again nothing _felt_ like _him_ anymore… so who could say really? What he should do was go to Malik… Malik could always help him smile or distract him with some ridiculous new hobby… but when this mood overtook him he always wanted to be alone. Just wander the streets and be alone… unseen… in the dark… creeping around corners and even ditching his shoes in order to be stealthy and silent… like a thief… NO. He shook his head vigorously and pushed himself off the park fence he had been perched on. A startled couple on a bench nearby yelped and stared as he stormed off. They hadn't been able to see the small teen dressed in black pants and black shirt in the near darkness.

 _Ryou,_ he thought to himself, _get out of it. You're nothing like him and you never have been, thank goodness. Just let it go… it's over… it's been so long._

And it had been. His demon other half had disappeared over four years ago now after putting him through nothing but hell. And, as far as Ryou was concerned, that was where he could rot for eternity. He made his angry way, making as much noise as possible just to prove a point, towards his friend's apartment though he was unable to keep the scowl off his face.

He had never been easy to anger or frowns before Bakura. He'd never as much as squashed an offending mosquito. But now every person who passed him (granted it wasn't many at 1 o'clock in the morning) sped up and averted their eyes when they looked at his stormy expression. These moods came from time to time, but this one felt so strong… so much like when Bakura would take his body from him, _rip_ him from himself and take over…

He was knocking hard on the second floor apartment door, startling even himself. He hadn't paid one ounce of attention to where he was going. He could hear his own breath catching slightly in his throat and wheezing from his chest. His hands were shaking slightly so he clenched them tightly… no need to worry him... and he worried so easily now-a-days…

"What the effin' hell.." He could hear Malik making his way towards the door and suddenly felt much more like himself. Reddening slightly, he backed away from the door and looked sheepishly at his feet… it was pretty late to come banging unceremoniously on someone's door.

The door swung open.

Malik stood there in a towering temper. Ryou hadn't seen an expression like that on his face since Battle City. He took another step back.

"What- the- FUCK- oh… Ryou."

His expression softened a bit, then without warning he reached out and pulled Ryou roughly into his chest, wrapping an arm around him tightly.

"Hello."

Ryou stood frozen.

"Uh- Malik… let me the hell go now please."

He felt every muscle in Malik's body tighten and then loosen. He released Ryou and looked worriedly at his hands.

"I'm sorry I don't know what is going on with me today."

He turned around and walked into the blackness of his apartment not bothering to invite Ryou in. Ryou followed anyway, the worry he had felt all day mounting.

"You've been feeling weird today too- OW! Damn it what the hell was that?"

Ryou crumpled to the ground holding his foot.

"Ryou what- where are you?"

"Turn a light on Malik, and help me up!"

The light clicked and Ryou's tear-filled eyes widened in shock. The usually spotless and organized apartment was in complete chaos. Books were strewn everywhere, loose pages littered the floor… mostly crumpled around the trashcan. Glass bottles, the ones that held Malik's plant and herb specimens, had been dropped (and possibly even thrown) everywhere. One of which lay smashed under Ryou's foot. Blood droplets mingled with the paint smears all over the tiles of the entryway.

"Oh. My. Malik… were you robbed?"

"Shit! Ryou I'm so sorry, I haven't had the lights on since this evening and I guess I hadn't paid attention to the mess I was making… come here!" He commanded sharply and suddenly making Ryou jump and then tense as he felt arms wrap, once again, around his torso and jerk him up. He was thrown on the couch and looked dazedly after Malik as he made his way to the bathroom, completely ignoring the paint tubes he stepped on, squirting even more color over the debris.

Ryou was now convinced something was wrong. Malik would always be somewhat of a free spirit. The charcoal he continued to use as eyeliner and the gold earrings and bangles continued to express that much. But ever since his own demon had been separated from him he'd been much more even keel. He threw every ounce of energy he had at anything that even remotely interested him (hence the painting supplies, botany, and library littered everywhere) which probably helped keep him in check. These mood swings were not encouraging.

Malik returned with a giant first aid, yet another hobby he had acquired. He was First Aid, CPR and CPI certified. He began washing the cut and pulling out the small slivers of glass with a dark look clouding his tan features. Ryou flinched when he applied the alcohol based cleaning solution. As Malik wrapped a bandage around his foot… he spoke in a much calmer tone.

"Your feet were pretty beat up already…"

Ryou blushed, "I was waking around without my shoes."

Malik stared, "Why?"

"I felt like… I didn't want to be seen. I don't know I've felt weird all day. Restless."

"Well I'm glad it's not just me. I've been on edge all day, can't keep my emotions in check. Haven't felt this way since... well… you know."

They exchanged a look.

"Do you think… They're gone right?" Malik blurted out and looked Ryou dead in the eye.

Ryou bristled. "Of course they are!" He said, slapping Malik's hand away from his foot and tying the bandage himself. "Don't even say that."

"It's just, today I felt… this weird shock and then I felt like… like I wasn't alone anymore… like I wasn't safe anymore." Malik hung his head.

Malik was terrified of the personality he had created as a child. It had been torn from him, expelled to the Shadow Realm and still he acted like it was just sitting in jail waiting for parole. Ryou took quite a different stance against his past. He hated every inch of his dark side. Hated him deeply and loudly.

"You shouldn't be so scared."

Malik looked at him like he had three heads.

"Like you wouldn't be scared…"

"I wouldn't be." Ryou scowled at the carpet. "I hate- I wouldn't care less if he-"

"Yeah like hell." Malik spat, "At least your dark side is- was a person… someone and not some kind of monster…"

"Can I sleep here?" Ryou interrupted bluntly.

Malik nodded.

"Good... maybe you'll be less of a raving lunatic in the morning." Ryou sighed. "I mean not a completely sane person… I know that'll never happen…" They looked at each other and cracked a smile.

"Come on, get up and get a wet rag." Ryou directed.

"What?" Malik gave him a confused look.

"I can't sleep in a place that looks like it just got raided for drugs." Ryou threw a pillow that had fallen on the coffee table at him. Malik laughed and put it on the couch, stretched, and then walked towards the kitchen. Ryou's smile slid off his face as he looked outside. Those thoughts had felt too familiar when Malik voiced them. He felt a little light-headed. The ache in his chest throbbed. He couldn't help raising his hand to just above his heart.

"It can't happen… it can't…"

He walked away from the window and began scooping up books.

 **Bakura**

Five miles away a tall, lean, gray-haired man stood rubbing his head and peering around himself. He started walking towards the small pond in front of himself and peered in. His skin was pale and his deep green eyes looked slightly sunken. He smiled hugely and turned, walking confidently towards where he knew the one he needed to find would be… he'd never move from that stupid apartment where he'd been so happy once. As he passed by a couple sitting on a bench he gave them his best leering and intimidating smile. They stood up quickly and scurried away.

"This stupid park." He grumbled, "Why did I have to arrive here?"

He kicked at the fence as he passed through it…. The same fence where not long ago his light had sat cursing him.

 **Ryou**

Ryou sprang up. He stood bent slightly over, his long white hair in a tangled mess and spilling over his eyes, every muscle tensed. He was gasping for breath. The strangest feeling had woken him, a mess of nerves and worry and a strange, leaping swooping feeling in the pit of his stomach. He collapsed on the couch and groaned quietly, pulling the pillow over his head.

"Well that was quite dramatic." Ryou rolled onto his back and glared at Malik, sitting at his leisure on the armchair next to the couch crunching on a bowl of cereal.

"Hope you're feeling better today…?" Ryou spat back. His foot hurt quite a lot and he was not in a good mood.

"Aw stop, those death glares are just too much!" Malik grabbed at his chest as though a hole was being burned into it and smirked spectacularly.

"You've made a full recovery back from Crazyland then?" Ryou mumbled, feeling exhausted. After they had finished cleaning the apartment and chatting about Malik's classes at Domino Community College it had been about 4:30am. "I've got to get home. I need a proper rest before work."

Malik's smirk disappeared. "I wish you'd do something- anything else."

Ryou glared, "Don't do this, not now, I'm exhausted. I need to borrow a pair of shoes."

A half hour later, Ryou was tromping up to the front of his apartment building in shoes two sizes too big for him. He hated being so slight. He swept his hair out of his face and fumbled for his keys. He went to unlock the door and found it was already open, and very very broken. He frowned. _What the hell happened here..._

He walked up the stairs four flights and felt a mounting panic he couldn't explain. When he reached his door, he couldn't help his shaking hands as he reached for the knob. He tried it before reaching for his key. Just as he'd been afraid of. The knob turned and the door opened. He stepped in, terrified to run into a robber or some kind of crazy homeless person who had somehow targeted his apartment for 'inspection'.

"Ah finally, I've been waiting quite a long time hikari."

Ryou thought he might faint. Or throw up. Run back down the stairway screaming like a banshee. Which one was appropriate for your worst nightmare?

"Shut the door and face me. Stop being a child."

Every drop of fear drained out of him. Ryou turned slowly toward the taller version of himself. Taller, at least by 5 inches, with flowing gray hair and deep green piercing eyes with a rim of red… no, no red… strange. Ryou could have sworn he remembered red in those eyes that stared back at him out of the mirror when he was torn from himself. He walked forward slowly staring at the change in the eyes and stopped just in front of him. And then he raised his fists and lost it.

"Ryou- Shit. Hey! Stop it- Stop UH!"

Every inch he could reach was pummeled. Ryou beat down directly on his face a felt, rather than heard, the snap. He grabbed a nearby lamp and broke it over his head.

"You- Ruined- My- LIFE. Get the FUCK OUT!" Ryou screamed and dragged the man to the door and out into the hallway. He slammed the door and crumpled to the ground wheezing with tears pouring down his face. His chest began to throb even worse than it had last night. He crawled towards the phone and picked it up.

"Malik. Listen… He came here… he's back… no SHUT UP! I'm not messing you. Please he came here. No I'm fine… but I hit him… I- YES of course _him_ is Bakura!"

 **-End-**

 **Like? Review!? I plan to put up chapter 2 very, very soon.**


	2. Chapter 2

**Malik**

Sitting on his couch watching the sun come up, he had just been feeling tired enough to slip back in bed when the phone rang. Cursing softly he picked it up and heard Ryou speaking in a hurried tone. "Malik."

"Ryou? What now?"

"Listen…" Ryou interrupted him angrily, Malik tensed.

"What?" He questioned testily as he picked at a spot on the chair he was currently occupying.

"He came here… he's back…"

"What the fucking hell are you on about no-"

"No, SHUT UP! I'm not messing you. Please he came here."

"Are you alright?" The higher pitched tone of Ryou's voice was making him worry, making it hard to think.

"No I'm fine… but I hit him… I-"

"Wait, wait, wait!" Malik yelled into the phone, feeling a cold sense of dread fill this entire body. "Who the hell is _him_? You can't possibly mean… not Bakura?"

"YES of course _him_ is Bakura!" Ryou shouted at him. "Who the hell else would I hit?"

Malik felt an odd giggle rising in his throat, he pushed it down.

"What does this mean? What do we do?"

"I need you to go find him Malik." Ryou's tone was soft now.

"What? Why?" Malik was completely confused… was this a dream?

"He's hurt… I think I broke his face…" Ryou mumbled.

"Wait, why do you care if-"

"PLEASE. Just go see if he's alive…" Ryou hung up.

Malik sat with the phone clutched in one hand and the glass cereal bowl clutched in another.

 _If Bakura is back… what if others are back… what if they all came back…_

The sound of shattering glass and the pain in his hand brought him painfully back from the terrifying thought. He glared down at the broken bowl and his bleeding hand. He had classes and work and he was going to go and replace his broken bottles for his plants and herbs today. He had a paper to write and- and Ryou wanted him to go outside and FIND the crazy man who had almost killed him and whoever else happened to be wandering around Domino…

"I can't leave. I won't leave this apartment until-"

 _Until what? He comes here and finds you? Bakura found Ryou…_

Bakura found Ryou… and Marik would find him. If they weren't already together hunting him down.

 _No_ , he shook himself mentally _, They wouldn't be together. They hate each other. Really the only person Bakura ever worked with was-_

He stood up and walked out of his door, absolutely determined to find Bakura… because if he was going to have to face that lunatic again, he at least wanted a lunatic on his side.

 **Marik**

The only thing he registered was heat. Oppressive, burning heat and sand. His fingers sank into the sand around him as he pushed himself up. His skin felt like it may burst into flames. After the dark, cold and dreary world he'd been living in, this desert felt as though it was blinding him and cooking him alive. He looked left, then right. Seemingly, he stood in the middle of an empty deserted area of the hot desert, but he knew better. He walked 10 steps forward and then walked to the left for about 10 minutes. Small stones came into view… followed by a large stone path leading to what looked like an old pyramid with no top, just a dark, dank entryway down into the sand. He stood over it, taking in the spider webs and obvious snake holes, the crumbling stone and weather beaten ropes and pulleys that served to open and shut this door when there had been inhabitants beneath it… when _he_ had been an inhabitant beneath it…

He straightened. Obviously no one was there.

"Where are you?" His voice came out cracked, strained and rasping. "Where have you gone?"

 **Malik**

Bakura walked out of the apartment building and started off aimlessly, staring at his bloody hand all the while. Then abruptly, he bumped off of something… someone as it turned out.

"Ah, little Tombkeeper." He said, gaze going in and out but taking in the familiar blonde and bronzed features long enough to recognize the man in front of him.

"You look like you've just been run over by a truck." He commented lightly.

He felt on edge, looking around and over his shoulder for a sign of blonde spikes and red eyes. "If you want some help from me, you're going to have to come to my place." Malik turned on his heel and made to walk away, but Bakura stood obstinately frozen.

"Need help from you? I need nothing."

He began to walk in the opposite direction.

"Damn it you, just come with me, don't be stupid."

"No."

He watched as the foolish fool turned behind a brick wall and immediately sprinted towards another, slipping behind it in a matter of seconds. Sighing, he pretended not to notice where he had gone. He turned and walked away from the street, intending to come up on the other end of the alley Bakura had headed down.

"You crazy son of a bitch… I swear if you keep me out here long enough to get mauled by-" he cut his grumbling short when he rounded a corner to find Bakura passed out behind a dumpster down the alleyway.

"Idiot."

He tore a piece of his shirt off, exposing his midriff slightly, and wrapped the cloth around his cut hand. "People are going to call the police watching me drag your sorry ass down the street." He pulled Bakura up, draped a limp arm around his own shoulder and began dragging him towards the apartment, determinedly not looking left or right until he was inside the building.

He flopped Bakura onto the floor the second he walked through his door and locked it, sliding the deadbolt for good measure.

He gazed down at the wilting form that so resembled his friend. "Shit Ryou… you're becoming as crazy as I was…" He pulled out the first aid kit, _definitely a good choice… teach Ryou to tease me about my hobbies…_ and began applying copious amounts of the alcohol based cleaning solution to Bakura's wounds.

"Hope that still stings even when you're out cold…"

When he was finished, he cleaned his own cut and picked up the glass from his bowl. Then he turned and considered the slumped over Thief. Bakura, or whatever his name actually was, wasn't above making trouble. He was teetering between two decisions:

 _Put him in the hallway… or tie him up?_

 _He may not even remember meeting me, definitely has a concussion. What harm would it be to him if he woke up bandaged and ready to face the world (as long as he stayed the hell away from Ryou) in the hallway? He'd stumble out and be fine… surely? It's not my problem if he has nowhere to go and no one to relate to… well not no one._

The concern gripped at his insides once again as he considered the possibility that Marik could show up at any second.

 _Tie him up then. What's he going to do tied up? And if Marik comes… I can untie Bakura and they can battle or whatever crazy demons do…_

Malik frowned deeply and reached for the first aid bandages. He pulled Bakura towards the pillar that separated the kitchen and living room in his small apartment and brought both his hands around it. He carefully wrapped him from his wrists to just above his elbows and left him slumped over. Malik crouched down in front of him and looked at his bruising face carefully.

 _What's different about you Tombrobber?_

He reached out and opened a single eyelid, revealing a poisonously green orb.

 _You used to look a lot more intimidating…_

He let Bakura's head drop, backed up a step, dropped into a cross-legged position and pulled his hood up to cover his hair and threw his face into shadows. He had always had a flair for theatrics.

It felt like hours he had to sit there but he had a lot of patience, cultivated during his time underground. Then, Bakura stirred, made a slight sound, seemed to notice he was tied up and froze… feigning unconsciousness.

"How's your head? I'm actually a little concerned. You definitely sustained a concussion."

Bakura remained frozen for another second, and then lifted his head and shrugged.

"It hurts like hell." Bakura said, sitting up. He had bruises down his arms and chest and his head was wrapped in a bandage. His face throbbed and he winced.

"That broken nose isn't going to turn any heads for a while, but I've reset it. I have to say I kind of enjoyed doing it, though I debated waiting until you were awake."

"So you're still an insane psychopath are you?"

"Actually not." Malik adopted a very serious expression, "But its you who has explaining to do, not me."

"Nothing to explain…" Bakura mumbled. "Back."

"Uh yeah, Stupid, I get that… think Ryou does too now you mention-" He broke off at the dark look on Bakura's face.

"Why did you bring me here? What the hell were you doing in front of his apartment anyway? And not in Egypt anymore?"

Malik, making a split second decision not to tell Bakura that Ryou asked him to go looking for him, shrugged a little too casually. "Fancied a stroll."

Bakura glared at him blankly.

"Fine. Just untie me Tombkeeper and-"

"Malik."

"What?" Bakura looked him full in the face and lifted a long gray-blue eyebrow at him.

Malik fought down a shiver. "My name is not Tombkeeper… nor is it my profession now it comes up." He replied icily. "You can call me Malik or you can call me nothing. Not Tombkeeper."

Bakura looked at him so long he thought he truly had some form of brain damage. It became clear he wasn't going to say anything… _opting for nothing as it appears… giant Ass…_ Malik scowled.

"What did he do to you anyway?"

"How do you know _he_ did anything?"

Malik tensed but replied quickly, "Who else?"

He watched Bakura slowly relax, his back leaning against the pillar, his eyes moving from Malik's face to a spot on the floor as he systematically began moving muscles in his arms and making small movements with his shoulders. Malik almost let a sigh of relief pass through his lips, that stare had been making him increasingly nervous.

" _He_ smashed some kind of torch over my head…"

"Pfft- a lamp. He broke a lamp over you?" Malik let out a derisive laugh.

Bakura glared. "I wasn't exactly expecting him to be so different."

Malik shrugged, "Shows all you know about what you did to him for all those years."

Bakura stopped his jerking movements and stared calmly at him.

"Tell me something. Where's your dear friend? Not arrived yet?" Malik must have visibly paled. Bakura smirked. "Ah- I see, not so happy with him either? But you're fine with me?"

"I'm not fine with you. Does it look like I'm fine with you?" Malik spat. Then he looked Bakura in the eye. "We made a deal once… and I was hoping to make another one. But I don't have the patience to keep you to your word so…" He leaned towards Bakura who visibly flinched. "Calm down." Malik murmured as he reached for Bakura's binds. He froze. Bakura's pinky fingers were hooked nonchalantly behind the pillar, all of the bandages hung loosely, completely undone. He turned his head, his face was inches from the Thief's.

"Ancient Egyptian Tombrobber remember?" Bakura smirked, "I've gotten out of chains wrapped around ankles and feet before… you should see it… quite a skill actually. Picked it up after the palace guards caught me stealing a truly beautiful black porcelain horse sculpture with rubies for eyes. Absolutely priceless and doing absolutely no good locked up in the pala-"

"Why are you still sitting here?"

Bakura blinked, a mask of utter boredom slipping over his features. "Nowhere better to be."

Malik let himself fall back to his knees and then stood up and walked over to the armchair whose back faced the Thief. He flopped down over it and let his arms dangle over the top, resting his chin on the tufted green fabric. "How long have you just been sitting there letting me laugh in your face?"

Bakura shrugged, "Wrappings like this… takes about ten seconds for me to loosen them…so however long ago that was-"

"Why don't you jump me? Break my neck, tear out my throat. I know you know how. I know you're a murdering psycho-"

"No. I never killed unless I was in a situation where I had to."

"What?"

"Before Zorc… I never did."

Malik straightened his back and leaned out quirking his head to the side and cupping his ear. "What was that you just said? Before Zorc?"

Bakura scowled. "Well, he was this insane demon monster right? And I wanted to destroy the Pharaoh. And we thought we would do that together. So I made a deal-"

"Yes. Yes I know all of that." Malik sighed.

"Well he made me a little different… as one would expect…" Bakura shrugged. "How were you when you were harboring an evil demon?"

"So you're not looking to murder anyone?" Malik questioned.

"Uh- not at the moment but I am getting close."

"End the world?"

Bakura shook his head.

"Win a card game?"

Bakura's expression somehow descended into an even more bored state. "Gosh I hope not…"

"And you- during the whole time we knew you- weren't _really_ you?"

"Eh- I guess a little. But not really. My personality. My actions. My skills. My body… well not _my_ body but…you know I decided to do everything-"

Malik considered him, sitting on the floor casually against a pillar he'd been dragged to and tied to after being beaten… Malik let himself fall against the back of the chair again.

"I'm too tired for this. I need to go to bed. You-" He looked at Bakura who tore his gaze from the fish tank in the corner "may sleep here… on this couch" he pointed at the couch and then circled it in mid air just to solidify the point "here only. For now. If you want."

Bakura chuckled. "And why would you let me stay here?"

Malik made his way over to the window and drew the blind and curtain, pitching the room into near darkness.

"No where better to be right?" He looked over his shoulder to surprise a slightly relieved look on Bakura's face, who scowled when he noticed the eyes on him.

"Right…"

"Also," Malik added as he flopped himself down on his mattress in the corner of his cozy studio apartment, "sleep is good for a damaged brain…"

He slumped down into his pillows fully clothed and immediately gave into his exhaustion, not bothering to make sure the Thief was actually on the couch.

 **There you have it. Chapters 1 and 2, my intros to Ryou, Malik, Bakura and a little bit Marik. …can you tell I'm partial to Malik and Bakura… just a little…?**

 **Chapter 3 will be much longer and some of the mystery will start to make itself known and many questions will be explored!**

 **What exactly is it that Ryou does?**

 **Why is Ryou shaky and out of breath all the time… what are these chest pains?**

 **All of this and more may be revealed… if I find the time.**

 **Review!? It would help me write just a little-insy-winsy bit faster.**


	3. Chapter 3

Sorry it took a little while to update!

Thank you for the review and the follows/favorites. The plot thickens in this chapter, you really start to see exactly what the plot even is. Like I said… Chapters 1 and 2 were more of introductions to the characters.

* * *

Each small flurry seemed to increase the chill in the air. Small wisps… almost like smoke but even less substantial… were floating- no, darting around the man's head. There was something sinister in their movements. These dark, amorphous tendrils of black/gray air kept to the shadows under the stones of the small structure the man had happened across and spent the night in… waiting. Waiting for them to arrive. Slowly, one of the dark patches of swirling wind separated itself from the rest and began to coil into something large and monstrous.

"We've come a long way."

The creature didn't speak, but the man could hear its growling voice in his own head.

"Yes… Yes I wished to… I simply-"

"Why have you called?" It rasped horribly, making the man falter.

"You all… you are not the only beings to return from the Destroyed Realm." The man hoped, if he brought the information they needed, he wouldn't end up never walking out of this crumbing stone house.

"Who have you seen?"

"The one with the gray/white hair has returned for his Light… and the blonde Tombkeeper stays close."

 **Bakura**

Bakura sat in the darkness, waves of shock still rolling over him. Putting aside the "what the hell am I doing alive?" question, he still could not process what happened with his Light. He sure as hell hadn't just been beaten like that by Ryou… RYOU!? Small, fragile 'wouldn't hurt a fly' Ryou. That must have been some kind of crazy evil twin or something. Despite the aching pain between his eyes and the throbbing everywhere else, he snorted with laughter. If Ryou had an evil twin…it was himself. But then that _was_ Ryou, little Ryou just kicked his ass to kingdom come and threw him out the door without even a word. Actually that wasn't true. With a stream of obscenities and hate. He adjusted himself slowly and stood up, wincing slightly as his head spun and momentarily losing his balance. He gripped the pillar behind himself and attempted to remain upright. He threw a glance towards the corner where his… _'host'… hm don't like that term applying to someone else_ … lay still as stone. _At least he didn't see that._ He still felt very weak.

Managing to make it to the couch the other had previously indicated, he collapsed onto it, grunting slightly as his head throbbed once again. Then, all of the sudden, so fast he barely had time to process it, a terrible piercing pain shot through his chest. It was all he could do to keep himself from calling out. He lay on his stomach, arms and legs twitching slightly as what felt like electric currents wracked through his body, charging each of his muscles into a short frenzy before ending, then beginning again. He watched the red lit numbers of a clock across the room tick from 8 to 9…10…11…12… Even the black curtains couldn't keep out the sunlight as the sun reached its peak at noon. It poured through the cracks at each end of the curtain and reached across the floor, as though all it wanted was to touch his skin. Suddenly that was all he wanted as well. He got up, glancing back at the Tombkee- at _Malik_ he corrected himself with a sneer, to make sure he was still asleep. He remained still as stone. Bakura opened the curtain and let some light spill into the room. Out of the corner of his eye he watched the shadows hop and slither to the corners of the room… in an almost animalistic fashion. The pain immediately disappeared. He blinked.

"Hm." He let the light flood over his skin… his pale, creamy skin without a single blemish. _Ryou's skin, not mine._ If this were his skin, it'd be brown, a deep tan like Malik's and his hair would be short… nowhere near this length. He always kept it short and… He sighed and let his forehead rest against the windowpane. _Can't exactly complain about looking this way when I threw my own body away…I'm just lucky Ryou ended up with it and not his old man, or some other, older or fouler person… though if someone else had found it… maybe he would have gotten a normal life…_ Not maybe. Most definitely Ryou's life would have been different if he'd never seen that Ring. He sat down, his back to the window. He didn't know why but he couldn't bring himself to close the curtains again.

It must have been a considerable amount of time later that Bakura woke to the sound of running water. He sat up and groaned, feeling all the muscles in his neck and back protest as he attempted to use them. He looked over and saw the bed empty. _Great_. He grit his teeth. He didn't like the idea that he had allowed himself to appear so vulnerable in front of Malik, to be honest he barely knew him. Speak of the devil… Malik stepped out of a door off the kitchen where the sound of running water had been coming from. His hair looked damp and he was wearing only a pair of green jeans. He had a towel in his hands that he was using to dry his torso as he walked over to a chest beside his bed, opened it, and pulled out a black tee shirt. He pulled it on and began rubbing the towel on his head. When he emerged, his hair was spiking in all different directions.

"Well good afternoon sleepyheaded weirdo." He said, not facing Bakura.

He decided silence was all he wanted to give Malik in reply to that greeting. Malik turned and smiled… not sneered, smirked, leered, or bared his teeth… simply smiled, which caught Bakura slightly off guard.

"I really meant you could use the couch… did you move from spot to spot on my floor the whole time I was asleep or was there something special about that one?"

He turned to face a glass mirror hanging on the wall and began combing and taming his hair into it's smooth, normal appearance.

"I… preferred to be by the window."

"Planning an escape? I swear I was going to untie you!" Malik placed a hand over his heart, caught his eye in the reflection, and winked.

"You seem different than you did this morning."

Malik turned to a small box by his bed and opened it. He pulled out something that made a small metallic noise against the metal box edge. Turning back to the mirror, the Thief watched as Malik inserted his triangular golden earrings.

"Sleep can do a person wonders.., though knowing someone else is here definitely helps as well."

"Why's that?" Bakura assumed he was being playful with him again.

"Because if _he_ comes, then I don't have to deal with him by myself." Malik said this so quietly that Bakura barely caught the tail end of the sentence. "But hey," Malik said a little louder, reaching back into the box and pulling out four golden bangles he proceeded to roll up his arms, "maybe he isn't even back… or doesn't care where I am… or"

"He cares. You... have to care. One way or another, bad feelings or good… he'll look for you."

Bakura noticed the space between Malik's eyebrows crease in the reflection of the mirror as he considered him, he didn't like it.

"Ryou's tough now, has to be. Has to deal with the repercussions of being banned to the Shadow Realm and worse, handling a Millennium Item with ill intent."

"What repercussions?"

This felt like dangerous territory to be entering into. Bakura was straightening and unstraightening his arm and bending his neck forward and backward experimentally, trying to work out the tight muscles. He didn't like the turn this conversation had suddenly taken. He hadn't meant to imply he felt that way about Ryou… though….

Malik, more out of habit than anything else he suspected, rolled his eyes and smirked as he fastened a thin golden chain, so intricately woven that it looked like a single strand of gold, around his neck.

"Just leave him to himself."

Bakura felt the bottom drop out of his stomach.

"Can't." He replied simply, standing up swiftly and gracefully for someone who'd just spent two hours on the floor and turning back towards the window.

"You have to." Malik's voice replied in measured tones.

"I know. "

He turned around to find the blonde staring at him.

"You… want to go to the store with me?"

"Uh- What?"

"Come with me." Malik turned, grabbed something off the counter and stuffed it into the back pocket of his green jeans. Then he walked towards the door, opened it and left.

Bakura slowly followed, intending only to see if the blonde was simply waiting outside the door. Malik was already halfway down the first flight of stairs when he popped his head out.

"Shut the door behind you."

Bakura suddenly had another piercing jolt run through his torso and he grabbed the side of the doorway to keep himself from falling over. _I'm not staying here wrapped up in my thoughts with this pain continuing to wreck me._ He pulled the door shut and started, stiffly, down the stairs.

 **Malik**

Forcing himself not to twitch into a frenzy looking back and forth and up and down every side street they passed, Malik glanced instead to his left. Bakura was looking all around, his deep green eyes were thoughtful.

"So… what exactly would you like to be called?"

His eyes rolled onto my face and locked there.

"I don't understand your question."

His gaze was so intense. _Wonder if he gets that from Ryou or if he was like that on his own as well._

"Well 'Bakura' you stole from Ryou…right? This _his_ sir name. So what's your real name?"

He stuffed his hands in his pockets. "My 'real' name died with my 'real' body. I don't care to use it anymore."

"Well you shouldn't use Ryou's name as your own just because you made a mistake."

They both froze. Thinking he'd gone too far Malik glanced up at Bakura's face, and was surprised to catch a smile lingering there.

He followed the slightly taller man's gaze towards a group of children all lingering outside of a tall apartment building with a big red ball. They were taking turns running into the street and throwing the ball for a friend to kick. Malik raised a hand and cuffed Bakura over the head, for some reason he just felt himself becoming more and more comfortable with him.

"Hadn't thought about it like that." Bakura rubbed his head and frowned, every trace of whatever thought had consumed him a moment earlier gone.

"Well, I really do have a crapton to do so let's go." Malik headed off towards the University building straight ahead.

 _I'll at least turn my paper in, get some groceries, drag him all over town… anything to stay busy…_

His thoughts turned fully towards Ryou for the first time since he had left his apartment and another certain someone. _Ah… now he would be worth a visit for sure…_

 **Ryou**

Ryou hadn't gone to bed. He had barely moved. He managed to control himself long enough to discipline his fingers into texting gently enough so as not to crack the screen of his phone

Seto

Won't be there tonight.

That was it. That was all he had managed.

The apartment was in disarray, completely torn to pieces. The table was flipped ( _oh how the tables have turned_ Ryou thought ryly) completely over, resting on his carpet, which was littered with the debris of his smashed lamp. Books lie on the floor where he had thrown them angrily as he paced all afternoon trying to calm down and understand his thoughts. The most concerning of which nagged and pulled at the back of his mind, _where is the aching? Why don't I feel the darkness?_ Small blood spots made a trail of sorts to the door. That was where he decided to start.

Ryou viciously scrubbed at the offending spots angrily.

 _If he'd been here for so long he could have found my things so easily. Thank goodness he's so disinterested in me that he didn't even look around._

Before he'd allowed the shock to overtake him early this morning, after he'd tossed Bakura bodily from the place, he'd thrown himself towards his bedroom and taken the key that hung on a chain and never left his neck. Unlocking his closet, he'd taken stock of his dark black staff with the scarab etched into the handle, the dark iron knife and thigh strap it rested in, and _thank you thank you thank you_ the large glass jar secured tightly with wax. As he shut the door, he averted his eyes from the swirling black and purple contents within the jar.

The blood soaked up and the floor no longer bearing any memory of _that person_ , Ryou grabbed his coat and walked out the door, He knew who he wanted to see.

Yugi was up on a step stool in his grandfather's store when Ryou busted through the door.

"Yugi! Is he- where's the Pharaoh?"

Yugi , who had looked up happily at the sound of his friend's voice jerked so violently that he almost fell off the stool. Looking like he wasn't quite sure what to make of the question, Yugi laughed slightly.

"uh haha um- Ryou… he's been gone for so long…"

"He's not back?"

Yugi blinked. "No. Why would that happen? He went to his final resting place."

Ryou stared at Yugi before sighing heavily. "What the hell is going on…"

Yugi lead him to the back, where he offered a hasty hello to Yugi's grandfather, who was really getting on in years.

"Yugi… Bakura is back. He was in my apartment this morning when I arrived home and-"

"Arrived home this morning?" Yugi sighed. "Ryou I thought you were done with that group."

"You of all people should understand why I cannot be done with that group."

Ryou lifted his head and saw tears slowly rolling down Yugi's face.

"You miss him. Still?"

"Always." Yugi looked at him. "Maybe this is just what you need to let this whole thing go…. It's time for someone else to worry about the light and the shadows. The fate of the world doesn't always have to be up to us."

Ryou stood up, anger flaring within him. He was so tired of being angry.

"You don't understand. Of all of us I never would have guessed you'd be the one to completely turn your back on the truths we discovered when we owned Millennium Items… as a fellow bearer-"

"Don't preach to me." Yugi glared uncharacteristically. This was a sore subject and Ryou knew that but he was exhausted and on edge. "I spent years of my life running around the world doing whatever the hell _fate_ - _"_ he traced the words with his fingers "-brought my way. To help my friend. But he's gone. The fight is over, light won."

"If light won what the fuck is happening out there!?" Ryou gestured wildly out towards the windows, towards the sky, as he did so, he felt the pang… the familiar ache within him twitch back to life.

"Ryou… I just don't think you and Kaiba should be worrying about his anymore."

"Kaiba doesn't like thinking things are out of his control. I have no choice… you know what I have to deal with. What that bastard exposed me to."

Yugi blinked, finally seeming to understand something

"Wait, he's really back…?"

Ryou folded his arms and leaned his head towards the ceiling.

"Ryou, what if he's back _because_ all that stuff-" Yugi gestured towards the outside, mimicking Ryou earlier "- is here… maybe he has answers. What did he say to you?"

Not wanting to admit that was a decent suggestion Ryou shrugged. "We didn't sit down for a nice chat… not exactly the kind of house guest I want."

He felt his phone buzzing as multiple texts were received at the same time.

"I didn't mean to yell earlier." Yugi was looking sheepishly around the room, a hand lifted to his head. "It's a sore subject… I want him back so badly and if he can't come back then truly I just want this all to be over."

"I get it." Ryou did get it. He really did. Hell, he'd love for it to have ended for him that day. "But I can't just decide. I know what's out there and-"

"You don't have to explain. I don't agree but I understand."

"I should go. Seto wants to talk to me, and if my phone keeps buzzing it's going to vibrate itself into an early grave."

Yugi cracked a smile. "He'll never do anything half-heartedly."

 **Bakura**

As he followed Malik all around, completing his seemingly endless list of chores, Bakura let his mind wander back to the memory that had sprouted so abruptly and beautifully it had taken him right back to his childhood in Egypt. He had had friends just like that group of boys, and they had played games in the same way.

Teasing each other playfully.

Competitively shoving each other as they ran for a snake near the village, wanting to be the one to kill it.

Malik's voice and fist had brought him back to himself, in a different body on a different part of the planet. He sighed quietly.

"Oh come on, this hasn't been that bad."

Bakura glanced at Malik and let his head loll to one side. Cocking an eyebrow he smirked. "You're worse than a woman with all this running around."

Malik made to cuff him again and he blocked easily and without thinking. He was easy to get along with… this other Egyptian teen.

"We have to get home soon, it'll be dark but I wanted to stop in here."

Bakura glanced up at the small entirely black square building in front of them.

"Why?"

"To see a friend." Malik entered without an explanation or invitation, so Bakura just trudged along after him.

A woman at a desk looked up as they entered and said, "Who have you brought with you?" apparently she was familiar with Malik. Well… lets face it… he leaves an impression."

"An old friend. Is he here?"

Bakura watched as the woman nodded her head towards a large silver door on the left of the room. Malik thanked her and walked over to it.

"Mr. Kaiba, M. Ishtar is back and he brought a guest." He heard the woman murmur into a phone as they passed through the door.

* * *

Please pleaseeeee Read and Review!?


	4. Chapter 4

Sorry it took a while! Big life changes will do that. I'll be updating much more frequently now.

 **Ryou**

Ryou had _told_ Seto he couldn't come in tonight, which had prompted Seto to respond with 5 texts all in the space of about 5 seconds.

Then come in today. Bring the staff and the jar. They are no longer safe with you.

When will you be here?

Where exactly are you?

I know you're at the game shop.

Come in or I'll come to you.

Ryou sighed and replied, he saw the little typing bubble disappear as he began to write his message.

I'm stopping home to get the items then I'll come in for a bit but I'm NOT staying

Seto replied. The car is already there.

Ryou sighed,

Yugi glanced at Ryou's phone and chuckled."He'll never learn to be less intense will he? Who texts with periods?"

"No he really won't." They looked at each other smiling, then slowly both of their expressions became somber.

"I'm sorry to bring all of this up again… I know this would be like the best thing in the world for you."

Yugi shrugged. "I guess sometimes you have to accept endings when they come. Its never easy."

"Well I wish my ending would come." Ryou muttered shruging on his coat.

"Maybe right now you do, there were plenty of times I wished the Pharoah could just figure out where exactly he had come from and where he should be so I could get on with my own life… especially when Tea…ah nevermind." He smiled hugely, "I'm just saying things can change and that things can feel different when we're.. you know… in them."

"I really do have to go, I'm sorry to burst in here like this with bad news."

Ryou was already walking away, uncomfortable, but he heard Yugi's soft response. "Who said this was bad news?"

 **Bakura**

As Bakura, truding behind Malik, stepped through the large doors his sharp ears, a thief's ears, heard another set of doors slam. He peered around his… companion?... he didn't really know how to think of Malik, he seemed to be harmless to him. He saw a familiar brunette sitting behind a large desk typing away while gazing intermittently between two computer screens. Malik stopped in the middle of the room and Bakura stopped by the door… he always liked to have an exit point.

"What." Seto Kaiba hadn't looked up or paused in his work at all.

"Ryou should probably hear this too."

Seto stopped typing and looked up at Malik and frowned. Silence dragged on."Ryou is busy. He left."

Bakura felt surprise and unease building within his stomach. _Why would Ryou be here with this ruthless man?_ He was unwilling to recognize the disappointment that welled up and pushed it back.

Malik sighed. "Well it doesn't matter, he'll hear it anyway." Malik glanced towards a set of blue doors to the left of the desk.

Seto stood up. "He really has left. On assignment."

Malik and Seto glared at each other.

"What exactly do you think you're doing bringing _that_ here?" Seto didn't even glance at Bakura.

"I was hoping to explain what Ryou and you have been doing here since he 'disappeared'."

"My patience wears thin with you." Seto was so robotic, it made Bakura mad just to listen to him talk. "We understand you don't want any part of our work, we can't make you help. But we are fighting powers that this-" he pointed at Bakura, still not looking at him. "-has been in league with."

"Exactly.", Malik smiled. "Don't you think he could have some answers-"

"Enough of this." Seto sat back down and started typing away again. He hit the intercom buttom and said. "Ishtar is leaving."

Malik, surprising Bakura, turned and walked away. Bakura glanced towards the doors that, he now guessed, Ryou had just disappeared behind, and paused.

"Don't seek him out again." Bakura turned towards Seto and let his face fall into what he believed was the only intimidating expression Ryou's delicate features could be transformed into. It didn't matter, Seto Kaiba was still staring at his computer screens.

Without a word, Bakura turned and left. He had a lot of questions… but not for this man.

Malik was already out on the street. They had been in the buiding no more than 10 minutes, but the sun had already begun to disappear behind the large buildings surrounding them. Bakura walked down the steps of the small square building, whose sign read 'Kaiba Corp. SR division' and as he reached Malik, fell into perfect unison with him as they walked towards his apartment. Bakura looked back as they walked down the street. The building they had come out of was small and unobtrusive. No one could guess its purpose from its smooth and windowless exterior. The minute Kaiba Corp. sign was the only indication it was any sort of business at all, and as Kaiba Corporation owned most of Domino City's buildings, it was nothing out of the ordinary. Why the CEO of Kaiba Corp. would be sitting in this small building was nagging at Bakura, and there had already been too many strange things today. Questions began to spring up in his head. The foremost one being, what exactly was Ryou doing with Kaiba. They looked at each other and Malik took a deep breath.

"I wanted them to see you… I thought they might let you talk."

"I don't have anything to say."

Malik rolled his eyes, "Okay, but I think you'll have more to say when you hear what's going on, particularly as it pertains to Ryou."

It annoyed Bakura that he could not deny any interest in Ryou with Malik, he had shown his hand earlier when he was trying to explain how Marik and Malik were connected. Malik smirked triumphantly when he saw that Bakura was not going to retort.

"I'll explain when we get indoors."

Bakura's cocked eyebrow was all the answer he received.

 **Ryou**

Still attempting to get his breathing under control, Ryou setted into the smooth leather seat of the car he rode in. The driver was taking him to a museum, the rod with the scarab beetle was secured in a laqured wooden box at his feet. He held a sack in his hands, wrapped in many layers of lush velvet.

He kept looking behind himself, expecting to, somehow, see Bakura any minute, racing towards the car with supernatural speed and deadly intent. But no Bakura appeared and the car pulled up to the back door of the museum. A small sigh of relief escaped his lips when he saw Ishizu standing by the door. Gone were the days of a flowing white robe and golden sandals and acoutraments. Ishizu was clad in a simple black dress that ended midcalf. The Millenium necklace she had worn for so long was replaced by a small chain with three keys that lay just below the neckline of her dress.

"Thank you." Was all she said as Ryou got out of the car in his black clothing, shoes included this time, and handed her the sack and the rod. He felt a lightening throughout his entire body as he did so and a smile came easily to his face for the first time in what felt like days.

"I just saw Malik." They made eye contact. "He's keeping Bakura company."

Ishizu looked extremely uneasy.

"I'll speak with him."

Ryou nodded and got back in the car. The driver drove away immediately, straight back to the SR division headquarters. Ryou felt anger flare up inside him and tried to push it back down. It wasn't fair to be upset with Malik, it was his own fault Malik and Bakura had had any opportunity to speak. He hadn't considered the old partnership… the bonds that seeing and speaking to each other could reforge. He cursed himself quietly and allowed his hand to curl into a fist. He began impatiently tapping his foot and even glared towards the rear view mirror. The driver silently raised the partion between them. Ryou rolled his eyes and glared out he window instead as it began to rain. Malik was his friend… his only really close friend. He'd have to go over there sometime and try to snap him out of whatever stupid train of thought had inspired him to befriend Bakura and even take him out in the day light. _Probably just another little hobby,_ Ryou thought to himself maliciously. Ryou was ashamed to admit that he had thought Malik might intimidate or even harm Bakura so he would not have to deal with him anymore. A mixture of shame and irritation whirled around inside him as the car pulled up. Ryou did not wait for the drivier to open the door. He stormed out of the car and through the backdoor of the square building adding another layer of shame and annoyance to his already unstable mood, because he could only be reminded as he pushed through doors and stomped down hallways, that this kind of behavior was exactly what Bakura was known for… this and causing as much pain as possible to as many people as possible. A little talent Ryou was still dealing with the reprecussions of.

"I'm back." Ryou settled himself into a chair placed rght next to a pair of blue doors facing a large dark wood desk and crossed his arms sullenly.

"No problems?"

"None."

"Good."

Kaiba had stopped typing the moment Ryou walked in.

"I could hear you coming from a mile away. Don't slam doors in my building again."

Ryou narrowed his eyes at a small paperweight on Kaiba's desk and made no response. Kaiba laced his fingers together and placed his head on them, closing his eyes. Ryou saw him do this often, when he was thinking.

"Malik wanted us to talk to your demon."

"Excuse me?"

"He wanted the demon to help us. He appeared to think he might have some kind of insight into what is going on."

"Like we need his-" Seto held up a hand to quiet Ryou, which worsened his mood considerably. He was about to start ranting and raving about anything and everything when Seto said, eyes still closed, "What is wrong with you today?"

His bright blue eyes flashed open and Ryou suddenly felt all of his anger and irritation cool, still there, but considerably less violatile.

"Are you serious?" He replied. "You must be joking. Take a wild guess at what coud possibly have me a bit on edge."

Kaiba waved his hand impatiently.

"You can't possibly be this upset about that thing returning. Maybe at first, but from the looks of him and some of the short comments you've made, it sounds like you gave him quite a beating and sent him on his way. And he hasn't come seeking you-"

"HE CAME HERE!"

They looked at each other.

"He didn't follow you here, stalk you home, try to approach you at the museum. He left with Ishtar and he CAME with him. I'd guess that he had no idea you were here, and, if you hadn't had a little temper tantrum and slammed my doors on your way out, still would not know."

Ryou blinked.

"So why then," Seto continued, closing his eyes again, "are you drawing attention to yourself, and storming around this building when they both could very well have still been here?"

"Are you trying to say you think I'm looking for attention here? Or somehow _wanting_ him to approach me?"

"I'm saying you're not acting like yourself, and that you're being careless."

Ryou considered this, Seto got up and began pacing.

"I'm concerned that this means the Shadow Realm is gathering strength despite what we are doing here. I'm concerned he may be some kind of… manifestation of these forces we have been fighting."

Ryou, surprising himself, immediatey said, "No. He's here for-" and stopped speaking. Seto glanced at him.

"For what?"

"I don't know."

"You have some idea." Seto stopped pacing.

"Well… I'd guess he's here for me."

"That's ill considered."

Ryou rolled his eyes. It was just like Seto to speak like this, dismissive and uncaring.

"And what have you calculated to be the most likely reason for his appearance?" Ryou replied, sinking down in the chair and hitching his legs up on the arm. He began picking at small fuzz balls he saw on the fabric.

"You don't have to act like a child." Seto began pacing again, missing Ryou's eye roll. "I don't know exactly why he's still here in Domino. But he doesn't need you for your body anymore and that's all you were to him. I'd imagine your part in his games is done."

Ryou felt the sting in the words without understanding why he was hurt. This kind of cold reasoning should make him feel relieved. It should make him feel safe enough to not be looking over his shoulder. But he couldn't let go of a nagging susupicion that Bakura was here for him. To hear someone so callously dismiss any connection they had made him ache a little inside.

"But I can only guess at why and how he is back in our world. At least the Pharoah hasn't appeared."

"Well if you think Bakura is just some kind of Shadow Realm ghost then why would the Pharoah be here? He's 'at rest'." Ryou remembered back to Yugi's sad eyes and the desperate tone he had used when he spoke about the Pharoah returning.

"Yes, more evidence to support my position."

"If Bakura is-"

"Why are you calling him that? Bakura is _your_ surname."

Ryou blinked. "I'm going home."

"I would have you to stay, you know our nighttime work is the most important and you are one of the best at tracking them."

"I don't have it in me right now."

Seto waved his hand as he paced. Ryou sighed. As he grabbed his small backpack and slung it over his shoulder he wondered if he'd ever be more than a pawn in a game he wasn't in control of.

Ryou walked home slowly. After the cool dissmisive nature of Kaiba's words, he almost wished for the Thief to step out from behind every dumpster he passed, every alleyway he started down. But he met no one and arrived at his apartment building without incident. He stood looking up at it, contemplating the night he was in for. One of uneasy pacing and little sleep while nothing changed. It made him angry to think he wanted to talk with Bakura. It infuriated him still further to think that he wouldn't show up at his door… because, for the first time, he started to doubt that the great Thief King would be interested in him. He was used to being an integral part of any plan Bakura concocted… but he had never considered that this was simply out of convienence. He had thought he was somehow special… somehow an apt tool for this great rebel. And, as much as he hated to admit it and wasn't sure he had ever been conscious of it… it had made him feel important. It had made him feel strong. He kicked at some gravel on the ground and it caught on a rock. Fighting Bakura had made Ryou feel strong alright. But watching Bakura do such terrible things with his body was horrific. It awakened some awareness of what he could do with the same body, and a kind of confidence had begun to grow in him during those years.

He turned and began walking down the road towards nothing in particular. He couldn't face a night of waiting to be used in a chess match he was surely to be sacrificed in. As he walked he thought about all the times he had been glad to be shoved into his soul room and not have to deal with the dueling and the fighting and the damn card games. As much as he had hated Bakura, he had found a kind of peace and centering during those times. And when he was released, he was surrounded by worry and concern. The darkness present within Bakura had somehow made his small and flickering light burn bright and pure by comparision. And the times that he had been able to see… those times when Bakura used his imprisonment as punishment and not simply an opporuntiy to use the body they shared.. they had been the most confusing of all. He had hated watching him run with his legs, duel with his mind, fight with his fists, and speak with his own tongue in a way he would never have been able to. Part of him had always been in awe of Bakura's ability to use what he continually complained was a weak, small, and awkward body for such great and terrible things.

Ryou looked up at the building in front of him. Malik's apartment. He stood there a long time, staring at the window two levels up and one over… where he could have sworn he saw the sillouette of someone tall and lean with a mess of gray hair leaning against the windowpane. As the street lights flickered to life and the familiar aching pain throbbed dully in Ryou's chest, the figure turned and he saw green eyes flash menacingly and his mouth curve into an angry sort of leer. He flinched out of habit and inwardly cursed himself, but he did not stop looking and when Bakura's eyes settled on him, he was surprised to see, even from so far away, a softening of the dark expression. He looked up at him as the moon rose and somewhere a clock chimed. Neither of them moved, and neither looked away.


End file.
